U.S. Federal Budget

Susan Walsh/Associated Press

News about the U.S. federal budget, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 27, 2015

Senate, moving to avoid imminent shutdown, prepares bill to fund Homeland Security Dept without also placing restrictions on Pres Obama's executive immigration actions; House Republicans are working on counter-proposal that would provide interim funding for agency while expressing their opposition to Obama's actions. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Senate attempts to break logjam over financing of Homeland Security Dept, exposing rift between House and Senate Republicans as they try to stop partial shutdown of agency; dispute has become proxy battle over Pres Obama's immigration policies. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Editorial criticizes House Republicans for threatening to withhold financing for Homeland Security Dept, potentially leading to government shutdown; argues that tactic will not only fail to block Pres Obama's executive action on immigration, but will also hurt families of government workers and leave nation more vulnerable to natural disaster, organized crime and acts of terrorism. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Congressional Memo; congressional Republicans are faced with unsavory prospect of allowing Department of Homeland Security to run out of funds due to partisan dispute over Pres Obama's executive action on immigration; many moderate Republicans feel their party will shoulder the blame for any shut down, and have urged House Republicans to relent and to pass clean funding bill for agency. MORE

Feb. 16, 2015

House Speaker John A Boehner says he is prepared to allow Department of Homeland Security to shut down if Senate does not come up with own funding bill; shutdown would further undermine relations between Republicans in House and Senate and create problems for party, which has vowed to govern cooperatively. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Even temporary solution to budget problems of Homeland Security Dept, which runs out of money on Feb 27, seems out of reach as Senate Democrats and Republicans show little inclination toward compromise. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Treasury Dept reports federal deficit in January was $17.5 billion, 6.2 percent increase from $10.3 billion year ago. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Funding for Homeland Security Dept is deadlocked in Congress, with Senate Republicans failing three times to pass measure to finance agency before Feb 27 deadline, in what has become proxy fight over Pres Obama's immigration policies. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Editorial praises proposal contained in Pres Obama's budget that promotes practice of 'personalized medicine,' also known as 'precision medicine'; notes that while practice may not live up to hype of curing diseases that are currently incurable, increasing funding for personalized medicine could revolutionize care and would almost certainly result in best quality of care. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Editorial criticizes lawmakers from both parties for continually refusing to cut defense budget despite fact that Defense Dept has said that it can slim down and save billions each year; calls on Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States, to commission Government Accountability Office report on how to trim defense budget. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Tappan Zee Bridge, which crosses Hudson River between South Nyack and Tarrytown, NY, appears on cover of Pres Obama's 2016 budget; bridge, which is being replaced, has come to represent federal investment in infrastructure. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Obama administration proposes in its budget to nearly triple funding for defect investigations at National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and increase agency's total budget 20 percent annually over six years. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

The Upshot; unpopular bill known as the 'doc fix,' passed annually by Congress to ensure that doctors do not absorb big pay cut from Medicare, actually cuts deficit by forcing lawmakers to trim parts of Medicare programs in order to finance doctors' pay; calls to eliminate annual renewal law for a permanent bill might end this efficient practice. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Senate Democrats block Republican bill to fund Homeland Security Dept, which has become proxy for wider disagreement over Pres Obama's executive actions on illegal immigration. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Senate Democrats block Republican-backed bill to finance Homeland Security Dept, rejecting measure that would revoke Pres Obama's executive action granting legal protections to undocumented immigrants; conflict is likely first of many in which Democrats will leverage procedural moves to prevent voting on bills. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Obama administration unveils $4 trillion budget with significantly loosened austerity measures in light of economic recovery; budget features tax increases on corporations and wealthy that will finance large investment in education, infrastructure and work force development; utopian vision contains kernels of proposals that could succeed despite Republican opposition, and that could frame debate in the 2016 presidential election. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Pres Obama's proposed budget contains six-year, $478 billion infrastructure plan, giving 33 percent increase in funding for large, new public works projects; upgrading nation's roads, bridges and ports would be financed by new taxes on American companies' international profits. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Pres Obama's new budget proposes to save $399 billion over next decade from Medicare, Medicaid and other programs by Health Dept; many Medicare recipients would have to pay more for care and coverage. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Pentagon says Pres Obama is seeking base defense budget of $534 billion in 2016, surpassing mandatory sequestration cuts by $35 billion; says in addition he is asking for extra $51 billion for Iraq and Syria conflicts, as well as ongoing American military contingent in Afghanistan. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Editorial welcomes Pres Obama's ambitious 2016 budget, saying it ties together policies laid out in State of the Union and other recent speeches; holds that at its core, budget aims to boost fortunes of the middle class by helping them pay for education, child care, job training and other needs; argues that it will remain a powerful and coherent challenge to Republicans, even if most or all of its implementation is blocked. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

President Obama’s budget calls for a lower overall tax rate, but also for a one-time 14 percent tax on all cash sitting overseas. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Pres Obama will propose $4 trillion budget for 2015 fiscal year that will seek to address widening income inequality and projects deficit of $474 billion, figure many economists see as manageable; budget underscores issue before Congress, as to whether to tackle this gap or address nation's huge debt; Republican House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul D Ryan criticizes proposals as more of the same. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column welcomes Pres Obama's proposed budget, which calls for increased spending after years of cuts; holds it signals change of focus of federal policy toward addressing immediate challenges instead of long-term goals; argues that focusing on long run, which many frame as courageous, in fact is tantamount to ignoring difficult but pressing issues. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Political Memo; Republican takeover in Congress has not led to typical partisan split over spending, as lawmakers from both parties push for increases; shift is due to complex forces, including economic recovery, diminished deficit and new political tactics from Republicans who have been burned by budget battles in the past. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Pres Obama and new Republican-controlled Congress are facing big split on fiscal policy, as Democrats move to lessen austerity while GOP presses efforts to balance budget; Pres Obama's new fiscal year budget will test Republicans' demands to control spending; both sides assert they want to help besieged middle class. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Congressional Budget Office lowers estimated federal cost of giving health insurance coverage to Americans under Affordable Care Act to $571 billion from 2015 through 2019, down 20 percent from earlier estimate of $710 billion; says change is due to many factors, including slowing rise of health care costs. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Congressional Budget Office forecasts that federal budget deficit will continue to slowly drop through 2016, but will start to rise in 2017 in spite of improving economy; rise in deficit is due to more Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security spending as baby boomers age. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Editorial lists ways House conservatives' cuts to budget for Internal Revenue Service will harm taxpayers and reduce amount of revenue government will get from taxes; predicts that agency will suffer more under Republican-controlled Congress. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column examines unforeseen costs related to tax and spending cuts, in light of new Republican majority in Congress; cites reduced Medicaid spending as example, noting that short-term financial benefits are undercut by long-term health costs due to poor care, and reduced long-term tax revenue; argues essential problem is many voters do not truly understand what they get from government spending. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Treasury Dept reports federal deficit reached 176.7 billion in first quarter of budget year, up 2.4 percent from year-earlier period; rise reflects absence of special payment from Freddie Mac in 2014. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Editorial opposes element of spending bill that could provide more than $1.3 billion in unconditional military aid to Egypt; cites country's refusal to grant entry to American scholar Michele Dunne as only latest example of the repressive nature of Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's governance; calls for package to be restructured in a way that forces el-Sisi to reconsider his ruthless and self-destructive methods. MORE

Dec. 15, 2014

Senate clears $1.1 trillion spending package that is once again filled with provisions to satisfy special interests; riders include major victories for companies that provide food for school lunches, cattle farmers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Las Vegas casinos and several others; bill is headed to Pres Obama for his signature. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Massachusetts Democratic Sen Elizabeth Warren begs her colleagues not to support provision in $1.1 trillion spending bill that would roll back portions of 2010 financial industry regulatory law; her fight no only raises her status as leader of her party's liberal base but exposes rifts within Democratic Party between progressives and centrist middle. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Senate passes $1.1 trillion spending package which will fund most of the government through the fiscal year that ends in September in bipartisan vote, ending acrimonious process. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

News analysis; fight in Congress over $1.1 trillion spending underscores lawmakers' inability to compromise; ultimately, measure passed, but only after a fierce push that played on fears of potential government shutdown. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Highlights of $1.1 trillion spending bill, which includes funding for Middle East military operations and funds to fight Ebola. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Senate is expected to pass $1.1 trillion spending package, but not without delays prompted by unhappy members of both parties; Sen Harry Reid says legislation is not perfect, but much better than likely alternative--three-month extension of federal spending at current levels. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

White House Memo; Pres Obama had to plead with his Democratic allies to pass $1.1 trillion spending bill in order to avoid another government shutdown, underscoring the challenge he faces in dealing with a hostile Congress. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Gail Collins Op-Ed column offers primer on spending bill making its way through Congress, ahead of inevitable holiday dinner table conversations about bill and politics. MORE

Dec. 12, 2014

Editorial decries House's passage of 2015 spending bill containing two riders aimed at appeasing moneyed donors, as well as collection of other regressive moves; notes that first rider allows huge increase in allowable size of political donations, while second kills crucial part of Dodd-Frank reform law aimed at curbing banks’ reckless speculation in complex derivatives; holds that bills are damaging to both good government and tax payers. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

Congress advances toward uncommon bipartisan agreement on $1.1 trillion spending bill to finance most of government for 2015; some conflicts remain, but Republicans believe legislation will be approved. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

Treasury Dept reports federal government's deficit for first two months of new budget year is down 21 percent from same period year ago; much of improvement is because of quirks in calendar. MORE

Dec. 10, 2014

Leaders of both parties in Congress agree on more than $1 trillion spending package that will fund most of federal government for rest of fiscal year; House lawmakers also prepare short-term backup measure to avoid government shutdown on Dec 11, if larger bill is not passed by both chambers. MORE

Dec. 9, 2014

Congress prepares to scale back Michelle Obama’s school-lunch nutrition mandates and curtail some clean water regulations in a $1 trillion spending bill that would avert a government shutdown, but extract policy price from Democratics. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Editorial criticizes Republicans' call for use of 'dynamic scoring' by Congressional Budget Office, which is way of estimating cost of tax cuts and spending bills by including consideration of how proposals might affect size and growth rate of overall economy; contends approach can be used to yield almost any result, and Republicans want to use it because many of their core beliefs have been discredited. MORE

Dec. 6, 2014

Labor Dept reports that United States payrolls rose by 321,000 jobs in November and that hourly wages jumped; improving labor market coupled with economic growth and falling budget deficit improves prospects of bipartisan cooperation in 2015, if Democrats and Republicans can seize on easing fiscal pressure to give both sides some of what they want. MORE

Dec. 4, 2014

House Republicans appear on brink of bipartisan spending package to dodge government shutdown and prepare to call vote; House Speaker John A Boehner seems ready to take on Tea Party objectors as he demonstrates to voters that GOP can be practical and not at the call of far-right members. MORE

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India's government and central bank have agreed to commit to inflation targeting, in the biggest change to monetary policy since India's economy was opened up more than two decades ago, putting priority on subduing almost chronically volatile...

The agreement was reached after a setback for Speaker John A. Boehner and his team earlier Friday, when the House voted against their original plan to extend funding for the department for three weeks.

India's decrepit state-run train services stand to receive at least a 25 percent boost in investment to over $9 billion, funded solely by falling fuel costs, according to officials familiar with a railway budget set to be unveiled on Thursday.

The tax increases and spending cuts scheduled for the end of the year could cause a recession if they remain in effect through 2013, analysts say, but reversing them would add to the deficit. Decide for yourself which policies to keep and see the impact.